These Newcastle Players Are Under Pressure

Written by Dr. Ed Harrison

10:12am Saturday, September 28th, 2013

Commented 61 times

Alan Pardew has said today that one or two players are under pressure for their place in the starting eleven on Monday night at Everton, after the good performance on Wednesday night where Sammy Ameobi, Paul Dummett, Yoan Gouffran and Mike Williamson all had good games.

Alan Pardew – likely to make one or two changes for Monday night Alan Pardew is still furious about the way we gave away the lead twice against Hull City on our last league game, and our defensive frailties showed through once again. 🙁

But a clean sheet on Wednesday night helped to steady the ship a little, but now we need to push on from there and try to get a good result at Goodison Park.

Alan Pardew will presumably give a press conference for the Everton game later today, but he has been telling his players we cannot have any more slip-ups like against Hull:

“I think one or two are under pressure on Monday night.” “What I’ve got is players in good form and that’s a good thing.” “We just have more options. I’m able to make changes.”

Paul Dummett is putting some pressure on Davide Santon for the left back position, and Cheick Tiote is now fully fit and is in a battle with Vurnon Anita for his midfield place.

And with Sammy Ameobi playing well out on the left wing and Yoan Gouffran looking great against Leeds, both will be pushing for a start up front, or at least a sub appearance in the second half.

And it seems that Papiss Cisse is most under pressure of the current front three – although he did score a good goal against Leeds – and Ben Arfa needs to improve on his defensive play, where he was caught lacking against Hull City.

And it could be that Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is under pressure from big Mike Williamson at the back, after Mike looked comfortable alongside Colo on Wednesday night.

We’re not sure what the team will be for Monday night, and while Alan Pardew may give the starting eleven against Hull one more chance, we’d be surprised if he doesn’t make one or two changes.

Don’t think Anita and Tiote are like for like players and see nothing wrong in them both playing at the same time as mids (not just Anita depping at FB) – say if we are a couple of goals up, and need to park the bus. I’d be tempted to play Dummett for Santon too

Disappointing to see some fans justify Mike Ashley’s tenure due to the fact that we’ve not won a trophy in nearly 45 years. These are the kind of short-sighted fans whom Ashley loves peddling his “vision” to because they lap it up, claims he has a plan, and when it goes wrong they simply claim that he’s fixed the mistakes and learning his lessons despite the fact that there is no evidence to support their claims.

What there is evidence of is that this club will not be seeking to win any silverware as it is not financially viable to do so. This club has not sought to give us a stronger, more competitive squad, despite Alan Pardew’s desperate attempts to convince us otherwise and in our 4th season back in the Premier League you must ask yourself the question, in relative terms to all the other Premier League teams, is our position stronger than when we got promoted?

I would argue that financially we are. Perhaps we have more technically gifted players at the club now. However, would I have preferred Cabaye or Nolan last season? Tiote or Barton?Carroll or Cisse? Santon or Enrique?

With the exception of Carroll due to his injury worries (nothing to do with ability) I wouldn’t have preferred a single player we currently have at our club. We may have players with more flair, but we certainly don’t have players with passion, desire and heart for this club. So are we better off?

Fell in love with this club in the 90s and have supported Newcastle United ever since. Is it a prerequisite of supporting Newcastle United that I have to like everything about it? Are players, managers and owners immune from criticism?

These people will come and go, but Newcastle United will always remain, as will my support. My support just doesn’t happen to be blinkered, unquestioning support.

Hang on hang on hang on hang on – Ben Arfa at fault for whaaaaat? I know its a free for all but come on there has to be a standard before someone just posts any stoopid thought thats running through their head ha ha ha. Tell you what chucky egg I thought Williamson was at fault for the other one hows that? Duh. At least make an effort.

Ciaran was that a compliment about Ed’s article production line or sarcasm? 🙂

Its a rare thing to get a foreign player to get the idea of playing for the shirt. When it happens its a rare compliment and much appreciated by fans. But at the mo we dont have them sad to say, oh well. We do need more UK players, we’ve had some canny Scots Welsh and Irish players to be fair.

Pokat – I sit right behind the goal although I love Ben Arfa you could clearly see for the third goal he just let the guy who crossed run right past him – if he had tracked him he would not have got in an unchallenged cross. I can’t remember the first goal now – too painful.

martoon yeah I know I have spent many a game in the gallowgate watching him trot on when he loses the ball, but you cant really say a ‘winger’ or AM has cost you goals unless he taps them in himself. The real problem is Pards either not getting his to modify his commitment to tracking back, or failure to compensate in defence properly for it.

Said it before, Vuckic, Tavernier, maybe Ferguson and Campbell, not going to make it. We alos cant scout good full backs. Santon and Debuchy make my head shake involuntarily, they think they are wingers but boy are they not. I thought Hairdryer started looking the part but I bet he’s a crock now after that cloggers challenge last season. Shame.

Pokat @22 – I agree with you about Vukic and possibly Tavernier but harsh on Campbell – still very young and only played bit parts normally on the wing. Fergusson is doing very well at Birmingham so surely judge him when he returns.

martoon, dont get me wrong mate I was relly hoping Campbell would be the next big thing people were suggesting, but there’s got to be a reason why he isn’t breaking through, and for me players that go out on loan are basically being put in the store front. If a player goes on loan it means that we either don’t have a reserve team, he’s two places behind a first team start and can’t progress, or he’s surplus but it wouldn’t hurt to get a good price for him from a lower league club by showcasing him in one. Real prospects stay at the club and worry the life out of the first choices. Tim Krul has spent life as both, he went on loan I believe when he was still very young, and when the only choices for GK were shay and harps in their prime and whatsisname now at celtic was banging about, but when he progressed he didn’t go anywhere, he pushed past thingumabob and haprs for his starting place and got it. Forster thats it. 🙂

And for all the flack he got, wrongly in my opinion. With hba in front we could do with a more restrained full back like Simmo.

I like debuchy but he is leaving us very vulnerable. Steve Bruce had clearly set hull up to exploit it so it wouldn’t surprise me if more teams do.

There is no link up between the two. Debuchy never knows when to over lap or underlap. And our number 9 is incapable of finding space. All teams have to do is invite us on to them. Get 10 mean behind a ball, win it back and hoof it to a man upfield on the left to play counter football.

LGFUAD – bit of rosy memory? Simmo was basically the same, although a bit quicker to respond as a full back than Debuchy. Simmo still liked his absolutely rubbishy and pointless runs and often left Williamson horribly exposed, which is one of the reasons Willo got so much stick. That and he was rubbish as well lol

Pokat @30 – The problem is we don’t have a reserve team now only an under 21. So once you are over 21 there is no second tier of football. BPC @27 Vertonghen is some defender as well – we were linked with him for ages also.

To be fair to Ben Arfa, if he is playing on the right side of a forward 3, he should not be expected to be tracking back and playing in the right back slot. I am also quite certain that Ben Arfa is instructed to not come too far back, as he is the man we want to pick up the ball for counter attacks.

Debuchy looks like a very good defender to me, certainly not a player you would want to go in to a 50/50 challenge against. The problem clearly seems to be in the coaching; Dubuchy needs some zonal training.

I just have to question, who is coaching our back line, and is it the same defensive coach as last season? if so, why have we not switched our defensive coach.

When you look at our goal difference over the past few seasons, our positions in the table look almost a miracle. We always seem to be higher in the table, than our goal difference would suggest.

What’s to be done about the online comments on here? It was only a few years ago when away from home at Uni that I would value posts and responses from people who knew more and understood better.

With so many, choosing not to contribute thoughts of their own, were left with so much chaff clogging the whole medium. Talking to many toon fans home and away they would like a return to the halcyon days of informed opinion and an absence of barbarian incursions masquerading as facts. Less bullyboys and more football fans.

Straw polls undertaken in the No 9, suggest that many just don’t have huge enthusiasm for the quality of what appears beneath the articles. This despite the vast majority welcoming being able to respond online to critics, admirers or interrogators if they so wish. As it used to be.

What they don’t want is tedious repetition, obvious inaccuracy and babble. Before an extended spate of the aforementioned I was an enthusiast for total liberty of expression. Surely few of us in our daily lives do not, in private conversation, encounter much enthusiasm for the quality of what appears as comments. Some fellow fans affect not to read them at all and know longer post. It used to be worth the effort. That was before so much bile. There are still many good contributors but just not so many and far too many providing clueless drivel.

A quality poster- missing off here- once reminded me that there was a place for everyone . He was right but I would say not to the exclusion of the crème de la crème.

League Placement

health update

I was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in February 2017 and completed four months of chemotherapy in late July and will continue to have hormone treatment.

The cancer spread in the bones but it has been stabilized and has not spread further.

I am still recovering from some of the side effects of the chemo treatment - it's mainly severe fatigue and exhaustion.

Stage 4 cancer is not curable so I will continue to have cat scans and bone scans every four months to ensure the cancer is not spreading.

It is as it is - these things happen - and I will do my very best under the circumstances.

Ed Harrison

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